


Blooming Pain

by Oneofthe3gs



Category: GOT7
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Character Death, Cross-Posted on AFF, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Emetophobia, Fluff, Hanahaki Disease, Romance, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 00:04:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18434903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oneofthe3gs/pseuds/Oneofthe3gs
Summary: How far are you willing to go to protect the memory of the one you love? Jackson Wang was willing to risk his entire being to protect the memory of the man he knew could never love him. He chooses to suffer in silence, but at what cost? Will he ever find someone who could love him as much as he loves the prince?





	1. Chapter 1

_When he opens his eyes he is met with the sight of cherry blossoms floating in the wind. There is a gentle breeze flowing by him, and he thinks the petals falling on his face woke him up. He registers that he is laying on someone’s lap. He looks to see whose it is, but when he looks up to the lap’s face it is covered in a pink cloth from the eyes down. He hears a chuckle that is vaguely familiar. “Good morning sleepy head.” He hears, and he feels a hand running through his hair. He sits up, taking in his surroundings better. They are sitting on a grassy hill, and at the bottom is a large looking palace. He turns to the other man and notices he is dressed in fine silks, his waist-length hair fluttering in the breeze. He pulls at his own hair to realize his hair is just as long as the other man’s, but he notices his clothes aren’t as fancy. The other man looks concerned. “Is something wrong?” He shakes his head, for some reason he doesn’t want to worry the other man. Suddenly the scenery changes. Gone is the grassy hill and the cherry blossoms. They are replaced by a maze of bushes filled with white roses. He looks around, not sure where he is supposed to go. But he hears the laugh of the other man. He follows the sound. He sees the other man, or rather he sees the back of the other man. He hears the laugh again, along with the man saying, "Try to catch me Jia Er!” For some reason a feeling of happiness bubbles within him and he runs towards the voice. It would seem the other man was trapped in a dead end. The other man turned around, his face no longer covered by the pink cloth. The face he sees makes his heartache. It’s the face of the man he loved. The man he would always love. Suddenly the roses turn black, and thorny vines wrap themselves around his love. The other man screamed, reaching out to him. He was frozen to the spot, unable to do anything but watch. “Jia Er!” His love screamed before being swallowed up by the bushes. Suddenly everything faded to black._

 

     Jackson sat up straight on the couch as he woke up. He tried to take a deep breath but his throat was clogged. He leaned over the side of the couch and heaved. He continued to gag and choke until gardenia petals started to come out. His eyes filled with tears as he violently coughed the last few petals out, leaving a small pile of the petals at his side. He sat back up, finally taking a few greedy gulps of air. He placed his hand on his clammy forehead before letting out a sigh. He hit his chest a few times to make sure all of the petals were out before getting up from the couch. He slowly stumbled over to his bathroom, flicking on the light that was much too dull for his liking. He blinked a few times, adjusting his balance before he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He leaned over the sink, turning on the water so it was as cold as it could go. He splashed his face a few times, waking himself up from the dream he had. He looked at himself in the mirror once more, staring at the drops of water that dripped from his chin. He sighed once more. _“I should be used to this by now.”_ He thought to himself, wiping the water off of his face. He ran his fingers through his hair, thinking about how he got to this point.

 

     When Jackson was growing up he was like every other little boy. He liked to run through the fields of his home, exploring the woods behind the farm he grew up on. He liked to swim in the river, and he would fish with his father from time to time. But as Jackson grew older he wanted more. He wanted his life to make an impact on people’s lives. So he decided to leave the farm to become a royal guard. He should have been content with that but, of course, he felt the need to be the best at everything. So when someone had told him of a way that he could become a guard for the prince, he foolishly went along with it. He had no regard for the future consequences of his actions. So when the vampire he found in the woods asked him if he was sure he wanted to be a vampire he agreed without hesitation. Sometimes he wishes he could go back in time to beat some sense into himself. He wishes he could go back and talk his past self down, give him insight into what he was agreeing to. He was agreeing to stop aging. He was agreeing to watch his family die. He was agreeing to forever roam the earth alone since he would always outlive his companions. But past Jackson didn’t care. He wanted to be worthy enough to protect the prince. Well, he got his wish. Of course, he never could have predicted that he would fall in love with the handsome man. Jackson, even all those years ago, knew he could never be with the prince. So he suffered in silence. And when the prince was ripped from him by death’s cold hand Jackson had screamed to the heavens to take him as well. But he never was. And now 276 years later his heart was still broken, the roots that had settled around it made sure it could never be put back together again.

 

     Jackson, however, refused to suffer uselessly. He refuses to wallow in self-pity because at the end of the day he had made the decision to live forever. He had decided about 100 years ago to do something useful with his curse. He always coughed up gardenias, which were already medicinal in nature. But the petals always came up stained in his blood, which he had learned was a cure-all. So he threw himself into making medicine for the villagers that lived at the bottom of the mountain. It was simple for him really. There was never a shortage of gardenia petals since the prince haunted his dreams every night. He would always wake up to a large pile of the blood-soaked petals needing to be coughed up. He would then dry the petals down so they could be used for tea. This morning was no different as he folded up the cloth he had laid out the night before. He walked out onto his porch, looking at the shelve of petals that he had left to dry a few days ago. He looked back to his home, recalling how long it had taken to build it when he decided to move to the highest point of the mountain. He was happy in his little log cabin since he was only disturbed if someone in the village was sick. He thought that with the advance in medicine people would stop coming to him. But since no one in the small village had money for a doctor, his business was just a lucrative as it was 100 years ago. Not that he charged for his tea since the long journey up the mountain was payment enough. Of course, since he had been running his business for such a long time, people suspected Jackson was some old hermit. Of course, the villagers weren’t wrong, but he would never let them know that. Jackson emptied the cloth he carried into a large basket he kept next to his drying table. He then collected the petals he deemed dry enough and spread out a new batch before walking back into his home.

 

     If Jackson was human he probably would have been making breakfast at this point. But what was the use? He didn’t need to eat human food to survive. Sometimes he would eat though, just to imagine for one moment that he hadn’t made the foolish decision to become a monster. But that always backfired since pretending to be human always made him think of the prince, and the mere thought of the love of his life made him choke on more petals. Jackson had also fed the day before on a mountain lion so he wouldn’t need to feed for a few days. Jackson sat at his kitchen table for most of the day, filling tea bags with his petals and a few sprigs of mint for flavor. The rest of the day was uneventful since this part of the years was when everyone was fairly healthy. When it was time for him to rest he laid the cloth out on the floor and laid on the couch. He looked through his bedroom door at his bed. When was the last time he had slept on a nice warm bed? It must have been before the hanahaki roots had started to twist around his unbeating heart. He started sleeping on the couch when he realized that even when he slept on his side in bed he would wake up on his back, which made coughing up the flower petals a harder task. But he kept his bed. Just in case he figured out how to get rid of the hanahaki.

 

     Of course with modern medicine, he could have had the roots cut out of him. But something always held him back. He didn’t know what it was exactly. Part of him thought the fear of being exposed as a vampire kept him back since his heart didn’t beat and the roots were far more developed than any human’s. But a smaller part of him, a secret part of him, knew he didn’t want to lose the last piece of the prince he had. Sure, his love for the prince was causing him to suffer greatly, but he never wanted to lose the feelings he had for the prince. He didn’t want to think about the smiling face of the prince and feel nothing. He didn’t want to remember the good times they both shared without the warm feeling that accompanied it. Even if he continued to cough up a tree’s worth of flower petals daily, the memory of the prince didn’t deserve such coldness. So he turned onto his side, made sure that the cloth was in just the right place, and closed his eyes.

 

**It was time to be reunited with his love.**


	2. Chapter 2

     Jackson stretched as he woke up a few days later. He hadn’t had any dreams the night before, so he was relieved that there weren’t any petals stuck in his throat that morning. He opened the door to his porch when he was met with a cold gust of wind. He quickly slammed the door shut, rubbing his hands together like an old habit from when he was alive. He grabbed his coat before attempting to go out again. He figured he should take a walk since even though it was cold the day was nice and sunny. He knew he had the time to since he was ahead on making tea bags. So he locked the door behind him as he began to walk into the woods that separated his home from the village. He didn’t realize how long he had been walking until he reached the village. The village was a welcome sight for him, even though it brought up painful memories. He had lived in the village for a long time before escaping to the mountains. His heart was hurt a bit when he realized most of the people who lived in the village before he left were probably long dead by now. However, he continued on. The village looked pretty similar to how it had looked before, or at least it did on the outside. He knew the homes were probably technologically updated inside. After walking through the village a little bit longer he decided to head back to his home, but not before visiting the cemetery to pay his respects to his lost friends. 

 

     He was making his way back up the mountain when he heard a cry in the distance. It sounded like someone needed help. Jackson froze, listening for the sound. Once he heard it again he was quick to run to the source of the noise. He didn’t know what he was expecting when he reached the sound, but he certainly couldn’t foresee what he walked in on. There was a person waving around a large stick, trying to fend off a wolf pack that they were in the center of. “Back! Get back!” The person, that he now knew was a man, yelled. The wolves got closer to him, making the circle around him smaller and smaller. Jackson couldn’t see the man’s face due to a mask he was wearing to protect himself from the cold, but his eyes showed how scared he was. Jackson decided to help the man out. He burst from the bushes he was hiding behind and grabbed one of the wolves by the scruff of its neck. He quickly pulled it out of way, but he made sure he wasn’t really harming the animal. He placed himself in front of the other man. “You okay?” He asked over his shoulder. The stranger nodded, looking slightly relieved that he wasn’t alone. Jackson turned back to the wolves and bared his own teeth, making clear that he wasn’t going to back down. The wolves snarled at him, but it was clear that Jackson was the stronger opponent. The wolves backed away slowly before fleeing the scene. The man behind him let out a breath. “Woah. You must be really intimidating for them to run off like that.” Jackson turned around and smiled at the other man. “I like to think I am. So what brings you to the mountain?” The other man takes a breath to answer but instead he lets out a hiss of pain. The man’s hand goes straight to his side and when he pulls his hand back it’s covered in blood. The man audibly swallows. “Is now a good time to mention I don’t like the sight of blood?” He asks before he collapses in a dead faint. Jackson manages to catch the other man before he falls to the ground. He picks the man up and decides to take the stranger to him home.

 

     Once Jackson was home he struggled to open the lock, but once he managed to unlock it he rushed to his room. He jogged as softly as he could and laid the stranger on the bed. He quickly unzipped the stranger’s jacket, not focusing on anything else but treating the wound. It looked like the stranger had been clawed at on his side. Luckily the wound didn’t look too deep so some bandages and some ointment made from crushed petals would do the trick. Jackson treated the wound and finally went to make his new guest comfortable. It was a bit difficult since the other man was as limp as a cooked noodle, but he managed to get the other man out of his coat and boots. Jackson wasn’t sure if he should take the stranger’s mask off. On one hand, the stranger could just be wearing it because it was cold out. On the other hand, the stranger could have been hiding his face for personal reasons. In the end, Jackson decided the man would be able to breathe a lot easier without the mask on. With that Jackson reached up to gently take the mask off. 

 

     When he took the mask off he nearly screamed. His brain registered that the man that was sleeping was handsome, but he couldn’t focus on that at the moment. His hand shakily reached out to touch the stranger’s face. There was no way this could be real. He must have been dreaming. How could something like this happen? But once his fingers met the cold but soft skin of the man on the bed Jackson had to run to the nearest bucket. Luckily he kept a bucket in the corner of the room for occasions like this. He gagged and wheezed as hundred of flower petals were forced from his throat. There were too many flower petals. He felt like he couldn’t breathe as he continued to hack out big clumps of flowers. This hadn’t happened to him in a long time, but he was actually starting to cough up full flowers instead of the usual petals.  By the time he was done his face was drenched with sweat from the force he had to use to get the flowers out. There were tears streaming down his face as he tried to pull himself together. He was finally able to take a few deep breaths. He kept repeating to himself that he was dreaming. This wasn’t reality. He was just having a hard time waking up this morning. He pinched at his cheeks to wake himself up, but when he looked back at the bed he felt like he was going to throw up more flowers. 

 

**Because there on his bed was the prince that haunted his dreams every night.**


	3. Chapter 3

     The next thing Jackson knew he was looking up at the ceiling. He groaned from the ache in his back. He supposed that’s what he got for sleeping on the floor. But Jackson didn’t remember falling asleep. The last thing he remembered was . . . the prince! Jackson quickly scrambled up. It seemed like he had only been asleep for an hour or two since the sun was still in the sky. He looked to the bed and, to both his delight and horror, the stranger was still sleeping peacefully on top of it. Jackson had to take deep swallows to make sure he didn’t cough up more petals.  _ “Pull yourself together! You used to be able to spend time with the prince every day with minimal issues.” _ He thought to himself as he beat his chest a few times. He took a few deep breaths before approaching the bed once again. He placed his hand on the stranger’s forehead. The other man felt quite cool, and that was saying something since Jackson’s own skin was like ice. Jackson quickly pulled the covers out from under the stranger and placed them over him, making sure to tuck him in tight. He returned to what he was doing before. He was sure to not put too much pressure on the other man’s face as he ran a finger from the tip of his nose all the way to his hairline. Jackson took another deep breath, removing his hand from the other man’s face.  _ “This is real.”,  _ he thought to himself,  _ “After all these years the heavens decide to torture me more by doing this.” _ Jackson wasn’t exactly sure what to do, but he knew he needed to do something or else he would go stir crazy waiting for the stranger to wake up. He decided to go make something to eat since he was sure the stranger would be famished once he woke up. Jackson walked to the kitchen to see if he had any human food that wasn’t slowly rotting away in his fridge. He was in luck, there were just enough ingredients to make some beef stew. He quickly got to work, but was sure to keep an eye out for when the stranger woke up. 

 

     When Jinyoung woke up it was to the wonderful smell of food. It smelled heavenly, especially since it had been a long time since he had a full meal to eat. He opened his eyes, wincing at the bright light of the bedroom. He sat up, taking in the room around him.  _ “Where am I?” _ He wondered to himself, slowly pushing the blanket off. He remembers walking in the woods, and he remembers he was attacked by a pack of wolves. Everything that happened after that was a bit of a blur. Jinyoung was careful to be quiet as he got out of the bed. He walked over to the door and saw that there was someone in the kitchen. He could only see the back of the stranger, as it seemed all their focus was on the food being made. Jinyoung slowly walked out of the room, careful not to alert the stranger. Before he could quietly close the door the stranger spoke. “If you need to go to the bathroom it’s the first door on the right.” Jinyoung nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice. He looked back to the stranger and noticed the other man hadn’t turned around. “I don’t need to use the bathroom. I’m just wondering what this place is.” He said, straightening his back out. Finally, the stranger turned to look at him after turning off the stove. 

 

     Jackson slowly turned around to get a good look at the strange man in his house. He looked a lot better than he did an hour ago, which was a relief. Jackson took a few deep swallows to prevent himself from coughing up flowers. “Well, this is my home.” He said to the stranger, serving a helping of the warm stew he had cooked. The other man looked slightly confused. “And where exactly is your home? I don’t mean to sound rude but I have some important business to attend to.” The stranger said, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against. “I live at the top of the mountain. Your business might involve me if you’re looking for the medicine man.” The stranger’s eyes widened. “You’re the medicine man who lives here?” He asked, his head tilting to the side in confusion. “That would be me. My name is Jackson by the way.” He said, extending a hand for the stranger to shake. The other man flushed before walking towards him. “My name is Jinyoung.” Jackson smiled at Jinyoung. “Nice to meet you. Why don’t you take a seat? You must be starving.” Jinyoung’s body betrayed him when his stomach let out a loud gurgle. If it was possible Jinyoung turned a deeper shade of red. “Don’t mind if I do.” Jinyoung took a seat at the worn table in the middle of the kitchen and began to eat the stew. Jackson watched him while he ate. He couldn’t help but think about the prince when he watched Jinyoung eat. However, they ate so differently it was kind of funny. His prince was raised to be a proper gentleman, so he never slouched when he ate. He never put his elbows on the table either. Jinyoung did both of those things and he kept making little sounds while he ate. It was amusing to Jackson, to see the face of someone he knew to be so prim and proper slurping down some stew. 

 

     Jinyoung paused when he saw Jackson staring at him intensely. He wasn’t really sure what to do so he settled on starting some conversation. “So is medicine something that runs in the family?” Jackson tilted his head. “What do you mean by that?” Jinyoung took a few more bites of the stew. “I mean I was told that I should expect an elderly man to open the door. Rumor has it that the person who lives here has been making medicine for at least a century.” Jackson hummed. “Well, my family was in the farming business, all except my grandfather of course. He taught me everything I know.” It wasn’t a lie, Jackson’s grandfather was a medicine man back when he was alive. Jinyoung nodded his head and continued to eat. Once he was done he moved to put his dish in the sink when he tripped on a loose board. Jinyoung braced for impact but it never came. He opened his eyes to see that Jackson had caught him. Jinyoung looked deeply into Jackson’s eyes. He felt like something was pulling at the back of his mind but he didn’t know what. “Jackson?” He asked, unsure of himself. “Yeah?” Jackson answered, pulling Jinyoung so he was standing on his own two feet. “Have we met before?” Jackson panicked but he must have looked confused since Jinyoung backtracked a little. “I mean I might have seen you in the market place or something. You just look really familiar but I don’t know where I remember you from.” Jinyoung said, his face turning red. Jackson chuckled a bit. “A lot of people tell me I look like someone they’ve met. I guess I just have one of those faces.” Jackson decided to change the subject. “So what did you come to my home for? Did you need some of my tea?” Jinyoung took a moment to answer. “Yes, my sister is really sick. But we don’t have the money to pay for a doctor.” Jackson smiled. “Well, I’ll get you a fresh batch then.” Jinyoung nodded, a smile on his face. Jackson went to collect a few batches from the closet he kept them in. Jackson put them in a bag and placed it over his shoulder. “I’ll go with you. I’d like to see how sick she is myself before I give her any tea. Some people react badly to it.” Jackson wished he was lying, but sometimes people had horrible reactions to vampire blood. He guessed that those people had some sort of ancient magic running through their veins. Jinyoung nodded and got ready to leave. 

 

**Jackson grabbed a few empty bags before following Jinyoung home.**


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to Jinyoung’s house is one filled with laughter. Jackson considered himself a funny person, and when his stories mixed with Jinyoung’s wit it made for a fun time. They talked about stories from their youth the most, with Jackson having to lie every now and then to make Jinyoung think he was born within the last twenty-five years. Jackson also couldn’t help but compare Jinyoung to the Prince. While they had the same face, Jinyoung and the Prince were as different as fire and ice. 

 

The Prince had always been soft-spoken and prim, to the point that most people assumed he was a snob. Jinyoung, in comparison, was a lot more open. He seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve, and he wasn’t afraid to be loud. But they shared little things, things that boiled down to unconscious habits, like how they both covered their mouths when they smiled. They both fiddled with their sleeves when they were looking for a subject to talk about and they both bit at their lips when they weren’t sure how to answer a question. Jackson had to keep swallowing down the flowers that were trying to force their way out of his throat. Little did Jackson know that Jinyoung was facing his own inner turmoil.

 

Jinyoung  _ swore  _ he saw Jackson somewhere. The explanation Jackson gave him could have been the truth but it didn’t feel right. Jinyoung could feel it pushing at the back of his mind, but there was something blocking the memory. He gave up and reasoned that whatever the memory was must not have been important if he couldn’t remember it.

 

The duo reached the village where Jinyoung lived in a good amount of time. Jackson noted that the part of the village Jinyoung was leading him to was more developed and modern. These parts of the village had been sold to wealthy business people in an act of desperation by the land owners. 

 

Jinyoung paused in front of a dark alleyway. “I hope you don’t mind but the house is a little bit of a mess right now.”

 

Jackson sensed that there was more to what Jinyoung was saying, but he responded with a nod. “It’s fine, houses get messy every now and then.” 

 

Jinyoung smiled back before turning into the alleyway. He led Jackson to a tiny apartment building that looked like it needed more than a few repairs. On the bottom of the apartment building was a bakery. The building, in comparison to the two buildings next to it, looked like it was in need of serious repair. The paint on the window shutters was peeling so much it looked like there was hardly any left. Some of the boards on the wooden porch in front of the bakery were warped beyond repair. The brick structure that held the apartments was missing a few bricks here and there. Jinyoung motioned Jackson to follow him, and they walked to the side of the building. Jinyoung pulled down the ladder that led to the stairs of the fire escape. “Up you go,” he said as he held the ladder still.

 

Jackson looked to Jinyoung in confusion. “Why don’t we go through the front door?” he asked, looking at the rusted iron of the ladder. Jinyoung chuckled nervously.

 

“I may or may not have gotten your help without my mom knowing.” 

 

Jackson tilted his head. “What?” 

 

Jinyoung huffed. “My sister is sick and we can’t afford a doctor. So my grandmother brought up getting help from you. My mom was against it. She said something about not trusting herbs and tea to heal the sick. But I couldn’t stand by and watch my sister get sicker and sicker, so I snuck out. And now we’re here.”

 

“You snuck out?” Jackson’s eyes widened. “Did you think she wouldn’t notice you being gone? You’ve been away for a full twenty-four hours.” 

 

Jinyoung shrugged, oblivious to Jackson’s disbelief. “I’m a writer, well kind of. I haven’t been able to publish anything. But sometimes I lock myself in my room for long periods of time. No one in the house bothers me when the door to my room is locked.” 

 

Jackson couldn’t believe his ears. “So what now? Don’t you think it would be a little suspicious to go into your room with no one, but then I’m there when you come out?”

 

“Okay, so I didn’t think it all the way through,” Jinyoung pouted. “Can you blame me though? Someone that I love is dying – did you think I could sit back and do nothing?”

 

To Jackson, that statement felt like a twist of a knife, to see the face of the man he loved the most in this world say something like that after he had failed him so miserably. Jackson didn’t think twice before he grabbed onto the ladder. 

 

“I owe you one for this,” Jinyoung smiled, to which Jackson huffed before climbing up the ladder.

 

Jinyoung’s mother was less than happy when she saw Jackson in her house. At the first sight of Jackson walking out of Jinyoung’s room she screamed. She was quick to take off her sandals and toss them at him. Jackson tried to explain, but the frantic woman ran to the closet in the kitchen instead. She pulled out a broom and took a stance, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Jinyoung managed to calm his mother down before she beat Jackson to death. At first, Jinyoung’s Mother was upset. Her face relaxed, slowly shifting from terror to a stern calm. The tension left her body as she turned to scold her son.

 

“I can’t believe you snuck out of the house and dragged Jackson all the way here when I told you not to. Your grandmother put you up to this, didn’t she?” she said, face red with anger. 

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother walked into the room before Jinyoung could answer. “I didn’t tell him to do anything. I only told him where the medicine man lived.” Jinyoung’s grandmother turned to take a closer look at Jackson. “I expected him to be a lot older though.”

 

After a pause, she then turned to her daughter and whispered something in her ear. Jinyoung’s mother’s eyes widened and she looked at Jackson from head to toe. She then let out a loud sigh. “Well, since you’re already here you might as well take a look at Sooyoung. She’s gotten worse since yesterday.” Jackson nodded and followed Jinyoung’s mother without a word.

 

Sooyoung looked worse for wear. Her skin had taken a sickly grey tinge to it and her face was covered in a layer of sweat from her fever. Jackson gave her some of the tea, hoping that the tea worked like it was supposed to. Unfortunately, that wish was not heard. While Sooyoung did get a little better, she was still very sick.

 

Jackson had never seen that happen before. He went to Jinyoung and asked to see the wound he got from the wolves. (He regretted asking in front of Jinyoung’s mother, since she looked ready to faint at the question.) Jackson’s eyebrows furrowed when he saw Jinyoung’s wound was only half-healed. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Jinyoung asked, noticing Jackson’s confusion. 

 

Jackson didn’t answer, instead, he continued to look at the wound. If he focused on the wound long enough he noticed that he could see the wound healing itself, but it was doing so at a slow pace. It was as if the healing properties of the ointment were working in slow motion, the sight of the skin slowly coming together makes him feel anxious. He isn’t sure why this is happening.

 

Jackson got up and went back to Sooyoung’s room, and he noticed the color was returning to her skin. Jackson had too many questions. Why was his blood taking so long? Usually, his blood healed wounds quickly or it didn’t work at all. (And once someone had angel blood in their ancestry and they broke out into hives.) Jinyoung walked into the room then, and before he could speak Jackson cut him off.

 

“Do you mind if I stay over for the night? It looks like the tea is working but I want to keep an eye on her tonight to be sure it worked.”

 

Jinyoung got cut off again by his mother. “Of course. Jinyoung, you wouldn’t mind sharing your room with Jackson would you?”

 

Jinyoung shook his head since he would do anything to make sure Sooyoung was healthy. His mother smiled.

 

**“It’s settled then.”**


	5. Chapter 5

Jinyoung was busying himself with making the blow up mattress that he set up for himself. It was all he could do to keep his thoughts off of his still very sick sister. He was glad she was healing, but he couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. Jackson looked troubled whenever he stepped into Sooyoung’s room. Every time he looked at Sooyoung he looked puzzled. His eyebrows would shift downward, along with his lips. Not that Jinyoung was looking at his lips or anything!

 

Jinyoung’s thoughts were interrupted by Jackson walking into the room. The other man was absentmindedly running a towel through his wet hair. He, too, was lost in his thoughts. He can’t understand why the petals are taking so long to heal Sooyoung. Jackson looks up to see Jinyoung staring at him. He then looks down at himself, and realizes that he was so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t put on a shirt.

 

Jackson coughs before reaching for a shirt that Jinyoung’s grandmother left on the bed. He swiftly puts it on, ignoring the blush that stains his cheeks at Jinyoung’s intense staring. “Do you mind if I look at your wound again? I wanna make sure it’s healing well.” He says, throwing the wet towel into the hamper in the corner of the room. Jinyoung nods before lifting up the side of his shirt. Jackson moves the bandages, and is shocked to see the wound has finally healed. He was glad the wound was gone, but it hadn’t even left a scar. When it came to his blood wounds still tended to leave a scar, but Jinyoung’s skin was flawless and smooth to the touch.

 

Jinyoung’s breath hitched a bit when Jackson ran his hand over his side. It was almost ticklish. The way Jackson’s soft hands gently smoothed across the area where the wound had been. The touch abruptly stopped, as if Jackson had finally realized what he was doing. Jinyoung looked down to see Jackson biting his lip, a look of confusion on his face. Jinyoung looked further down, noticing the wound was gone. Jinyoung let out a nervous chuckle. “Looks like the wound is healed.” He said as he tugged his shirt down.

 

Jackson stood slowly, confusion still written all over his face.

 

“Is it normal for you to not have scars after injuries like that?” He asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

 

“I’m not sure. I mean, it’s not everyday that a wolf pack attacks me.” Jinyoung replied, scratching the back of his head.

 

Jackson took a deep breath before uncrossing his arms. “Right, so how are we gonna do this? Do you want to take the bed?”

 

Jinyoung blinked a few times before catching up with what Jackson had asked. “Oh! Uh, no thanks. I mean, you’re the guest so you should get the bed.” Jackson smiled at Jinyoung.

 

“It’s fine. I don’t mind taking the inflatable bed. I don’t sleep much.”

 

“I insist. Even if you don’t sleep much you should be comfortable while you sleep.” Jinyoung said with a slight pout.

 

“The inflatable bed looks comfortable. I don’t mind taking it.”

 

“Just take the bed. That’s an order.”

 

Jinyoung was joking as he gave the command, but the shift in Jackson’s face at the words made him want to take them back. The biggest change had been in Jackson’s eyes. They had shifted from crinkled with mirth at the play argument to drooping with sadness. Jinyoung felt like the sudden change had given him whiplash. He quickly backtracked.

 

“Sorry, I don’t know what made you upset but I didn’t mean to. I don’t have any control over you so I don’t know why I made it seem like I did. Um, you can take the inflatable if you want to.” He said, twisting his fingers the entire time.

 

Jackson was trying to swallow back the flowers that were currently suffocating him. It was a little command, and he knew Jinyoung was joking. But how many times had the prince ordered him to take care of himself with that same wide smile on his face? How many times did Jackson dream about the days that the prince would look fondly at him as he commanded him to rest? Jackson had lost count. Before Jinyoung could freak out more Jackson swallowed the flowers and gave him a smile. “As you demand your highness.” He said, hoping that he sounded playful. If he was Being honest, his chest was on fire from how tightly the roots were squeezing at his long dead heart.

 

Jinyoung was shocked when Jackson slowly slinked into the bed, making himself comfortable. “I’m sorry.” He said, hoping he hadn’t offended the man that was saving his sister's life. Jackson shook his head.

 

“No need to apologize. You were joking.” Jackson said, trying to smile once more.

 

“Are you okay?” Jackson nodded at the question.

 

“You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago.”

 

Jinyoung decided not to press any further. He felt like he would be asking too much of the older man. So with a nod and a whispered “good night” Jinyoung curled under his own blankets. It should have been hard to fall asleep, but with all the excitement Jinyoung was out like a light.

 

Jackson turned over and watch Jinyoung sleep. The younger man looked so peaceful. The moonlight coming through the window illuminated his face in a soft bluish glow. Jackson could see the way Jinyoung’s long lashes rested against his cheeks. His lips were set into a small pout, and his hands lay perfectly at his sides. Jackson couldn’t help but be drawn to the other man. He slipped out of his bed and kneeled next to the inflatable bed on the floor. Jackson reached over and moved a small piece of hair from Jinyoung’s face.

 

Suddenly, Jinyoung began to whimper. Jackson guessed he was having a bad dream. Unsure if waking the distressed man was a good idea, Jackson sat by and watched. Jinyoung began thrashing about a bit, mumbling words that were not able to be heard. Jackson decided to wake Jinyoung up, consequences be damned. He reached out to shake Jinyoung awake. But the unconscious man said something that made him freeze.

 

**“Jia Er.”**


	6. Chapter 6

Jackson couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t  **breathe** ! He was trying so hard, but the air couldn’t reach his lungs from the flowers that clogged his windpipe. He beat his chest, trying to get them out. The sound of him hacking and wheezing was enough for him to wake Jinyoung from his slumber.

 

Jinyoung sat up in bed and was greeted with the sight of Jackson bent over. He was red in the face from all the force he was putting into getting all the flowers out. His eyes were full of tears, looking to Jinyoung helplessly. Jinyoung was quick to jump into action. He stood behind Jackson and gave him a few good whacks on the back. The last hit finally dislodged the flowers from Jackson’s throat. The bloody flowers spilled all over the beige carpet of Jinyoung’s room. His eyes widened when he saw that whole flowers were coming out of Jackson. The sound of Jackson heaving once more snapped him out of his shock. He rubbed the older man’s back, whispering comforting words until he calmed down. When Jackson finally stopped heaving he turned to Jinyoung. His bared teeth were pink from the blood dripping from his mouth. “How do you know my name?”

 

How did Jinyoung know his name? That was the only question running through Jackson’s head. His throat was on fire after all the flowers were dislodged, but he needed an answer now. Jinyoung looked as confused as he felt. The younger man’s eyebrows were furrowed, his lips in a slight pout at the question.

 

“You told me your name, remember?” Jackson shook his head wildly.

 

“I didn’t tell you my name was Jia Er.” Jinyoung looked more confused.

 

“Jia Er? When did I call you that?” Jackson shoved the hand Jinyoung had on his back off of him.

 

“You just said it. You said it in your sleep, but you said Jia Er. How do you know that name?”

 

Jinyoung sat back on his heels, looking Jackson in the eyes. This was ridiculous. How did Jackson expect him to remember something he had said while he was asleep? But the look in Jackson’s eyes told him he was dead serious. Jinyoung sighed.

 

“I don’t know where I heard that name. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard it. Do you really expect me to know what I say when I’m unconscious?”

 

Jinyoung stood up then. He walked over to his dresser and took a couple of tissues out of the box that rested on top of it. "We have more pressing issues to talk about anyway. Like how you just threw up a garden’s worth of flowers all over my floor?” He said, handing Jackson the tissues. Jackson took them, wiping the blood off of his face. Jinyoung sat on the inflatable mattress to avoid the mess.

 

“So talk.” Jinyoung said as he looked down at Jackson.

 

“What?” Jackson asked shifting so he could sit on the floor and look up at Jinyoung.

 

“Well you’re coughing up full flowers covered in blood. That tells me that you have Hanahaki disease. With how many flowers there are I’m guessing you’ve had it for a long time.” Jinyoung responded, looking softly at Jackson. Jackson felt like he could cry. He would love to tell Jinyoung everything. But how could they tell Jinyoung about how much he regretted being a vampire? How could he tell him he was a vampire to begin with? Jinyoung snapped him out of his thoughts with a cough. 

 

“Does it hurt?” Jackson raised an eyebrow in confusion.

 

“Does what hurt?”

 

“Coughing up all those flowers. I mean some of them have stems. I imagine it’s painful to get them out of your throat.” Jinyoung asked with a tilt of his head.

 

Jackson shook his head. “It used to hurt a lot. I guess it stopped hurting over time.”

 

“So who is the person? Do you still hang around them?”

 

Jackson should have lied. He should have told Jinyoung that he still hung around that person. That they were still alive and well and that he would confess to them once and for all. But looking into Jinyoung’s eyes was the final nail in the coffin. He couldn’t lie anymore. He was caught.

 

“He’s dead. He’s been dead for a long time.”

 

Jinyoung’s soft smile slowly shifted into a concerned frown. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes looked struck with sadness. But Jackson didn’t stop talking. It felt like he had bottled everything up for all these years and now there was no way to keep it hidden anymore.

 

“He’s dead because of me! I failed to protect him. My only job was to make sure he was safe. But that day . . . that day he was so angry with me. I told him the truth. I told him everything I went through to become his royal guard and he ran off. I must have looked like a monster to him. Because that’s exactly what I am! He never got to know how much I loved him because he died!”

 

Jinyoung wrapped Jackson in his arms. Jackson was sobbing, his words slurred as he got more and more emotional. But the words confused Jinyoung. Jackson was a royal guard?  For who? Before Jinyoung could ask Jackson continued to speak.

 

“I’m sorry! I’m so so sorry I failed you. I loved you so much but I couldn’t keep you safe Prince Lee Ahn.”

 

That named stirred something in Jinyoung. It felt like there was something pulling at the back of his mind. Like a long forgotten memory that never really left him. His eyebrows knit together as he tried to pursue the memory. It was faint, but at the same time it felt like it wasn’t that long ago. Jinyoung didn’t realize that he had tightened his hold on Jackson in the meanwhile. Jinyoung spoke then. “Say that again.”

 

Jackson looked up. His crying had slowed down to hiccups by the time Jinyoung had spoken. “Say what again?”

 

“That name. What was the name of the prince?”

 

“Lee Ahn?”

 

Jinyoung felt like a door had opened in his mind. Something seemed to click at the mention of that name. Memories that weren’t his flooded his mind. Memories of growing up in a far off palace. Memories of learning to read and write. Memories of a certain royal guard that filled his days with so much laughter and light. Jinyoung looked down at Jackson and saw that face. That face that showed him that he was more than the obedient little prince he had been raised to be. That face that used to sneak him up to the highest guard tower just to give him the best view of the stars.

 

Jackson was worried. Jinyoung looked like he was far away. His eyes were wide and slightly glazed over. Jackson slowly reached up and held Jinyoung by the arms.

 

“Jinyoung?”

 

Jinyoung took a deep breath, tears in his eyes.

 

“Jia Er. You’re alive.”

 

Jackson froze once more, not daring to even breathe incase Jinyoung was playing a cruel joke. But Jinyoung continued to speak.

 

“I thought you had died. My mother told me you put a stake through your heart.”

 

Jinyoung reached up to hold Jackson’s face. Jackson leaned back, a scowl on his face and his nostrils flared in anger.

 

“That isn’t funny Jinyoung!”

 

“I’m not joking! I remember everything!  I remember you telling me you were a vampire. I was angry. I was so angry that you threw your mortality away just to protect me. I remember running off into the maze-” Jackson cut Jinyoung off.

 

“Then you should remember that there was an ambush and the leader killed the prince right in front of my eyes! Or did you forget that part? Lee Ahn died that day.” Jinyoung shook his head.

 

“No, I mean I remember the ambush but I didn’t die. My mother said I was lucky to be alive.” Jackson stood up, his face red and the veins in his neck popping as he shouted at Jinyoung.

 

“Stop lying! Lee Ahn is dead! And it was because I couldn’t protect him from the ambush on the palace. If I had kept him at my side the leader never would have been able to capture him. So quit acting like you know what happened to him!”

 

“I’m telling the truth!”

 

“The how did you survive!”

 

“I don’t know! But I swear I’m not lying to you!”

 

Jackson was about to reply when the door to Jinyoung’s bedroom creaked open. Both men looked to the new presence in the room. It was Jinyoung’s grandmother.

 

**“He’s right Jia Er. He is Lee Ahn”**


	7. Chapter 7

“You know me?” Jackson said as he looked at the elderly woman just standing at the edge of the door frame. Jinyoung’s grandmother nodded.

 

“He isn’t lying. He really is Lee Ahn. You can even test him. Ask him any question that only Lee Ahn would know and you’ll see.”

 

Jackson didn’t trust the woman one bit. But he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. What did he have to lose anyway? He thought for a few minutes about everything he had ever told Lee Ahn. After fighting with himself over which question to ask he settled on one only the real Lee Ahn would know.

 

“The night that you were killed, what were the last words I said to you before you ran into the maze?” Jackson asked, confident that Jinyoung wouldn’t know.

 

Jinyoung blinked a few times, trying to recall what Jackson had said that terrible night. That night that his mind had forced him to forget for years. And then he remembered.

 

“Before I ran off into the maze you said, ‘I know you don’t understand, but I would become a monster one hundred times. I would lose my mortality a thousand times. I would do anything it takes to become one of the royal guards.’ I didn’t want to hear the rest of what you had to say, so I ran into the maze in the garden. And that was when I was attacked.”

 

Jackson turned pale as a ghost. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. There was no way. Jinyoung was spot on. Every word he said was true. 

 

“Lee Ahn?”

 

Jinyoung smiled widely.

 

“Yes Jia Er. It’s really me.” 

 

Jinyoung slowly stood up. Once he was eye level with Jackson he wrapped his arms around the other man. The hug was gentle at first. Jackson couldn’t really feel Jinyoung hugging him. But soon it had fully hit him. This was his Lee Ahn. This was the prince that haunted his dreams almost every night. This was the man he had been pining over for the last two hundred and seventy six years. And now that man was holding him. When the information finally sank in Jackson returned the hug tenfold. He squeezed the other man, sobbing into his shoulder. Jinyoung, despite being a little fearful that Jackson was going to break him in half, returned the hug. He whispered soothing words into Jackson’s ear. He rubbed comforting circles into the man’s back, letting him cry it out. 

 

When Jackson had stopped crying he refused to let go of Jinyoung. It was almost like he was afraid Jinyoung was going to fly away from him. That didn’t stop him from asking the new question that was plaguing him. 

 

“How?”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother looked confused. 

 

“How what my dear boy?”

 

“How is Jinyoung alive? I saw him get murdered right in front of me. I even felt for a pulse! And you! How are you alive? If you’re really Jinyoung’s grandmother how are you alive?”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother sighed. “You might want to sit down for this one. It’s a little difficult to explain.”

 

Jackson sat on the inflatable mattress, and he settled Jinyoung on his lap. 

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother sat on the other mattress, ready to tell the story of her ancestors.

 

“You see Jackson, my grandfather was a general in a terrible war. He was one of the cruelest generals from what I had heard growing up. He was heartless, destroying villages he deemed to be the enemy. Some of those villages were filled with innocent people, but that never stopped him. One day during the war he was stopped by a woman in the woods. The woman warned him not to destroy the village he was heading towards. He was asked to show mercy to the little village, which was filled with healers. My grandfather didn’t listen to her. In fact, he burned the entire village to the ground.”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother looked sad, as if she had some sort of hand in what her grandfather did. Jackson placed a hand on her knee to try and comfort her. It seemed to work since she took a deep breath and continued her story.

 

“The woman from the woods turned out to be a witch. The village seemed to mean a lot to her. So when my grandfather did what he did she cursed him.”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother scoffed.

 

“Of all the things she could have cursed him and his bloodline with, she chose immortality. She took away the one thing he wanted the most, to die with honor. He was forced to watch everyone he ever loved die. He had to bury his wife, and most of his offspring. Every battle he had to watch his men get slaughtered in front of him. Eventually he gave up living. He spent the rest of his days laying in bed, regretting his choices. Eventually he had children with his second wife, and one of those children was my mother. My grandfather didn’t know that his new offspring were cursed as well. And that is what has led us to today. Jinyoung, his mother, his sister, and I are cursed because of my grandfather’s actions.”

 

Jackson’s eyebrows furrowed.

 

“But I don’t understand. Where is your grandfather now? If he is immortal than shouldn’t he be here?”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother shook her head.

 

“My grandfather is dead now. A few hundred years ago we learned that if you drive a stake through our hearts and leave them there we can achieve something close to death. As long as the stake isn’t removed of course. That was how Jinyoung survived the attack. The leader of the other army left the dagger in Jinyoung’s heart, and you were too distraught to remove it, so we waited until we were in a safe place to bring Jinyoung back.”

 

There was silence as the two other people in the room processed what they had been told. 

 

Jackson thought it now made sense why Jinyoung and his sister were taking so long to heal. It was because their bodies probably healed differently from those who were mortal. But there were still so many questions he had. Like, why was Jinyoung still so young looking while Jinyoung’s grandmother looked elderly? He didn’t realize he had asked that question out loud until he received an answer.

 

“We do still age, but we age a lot slower than mortals. For example, I’ve been alive for at least a thousand years now, but I look no older than ninety five.”

 

Jackson was amazed to say the least. 

 

There was a question that was bothering Jinyoung about this entire situation.

 

“If this is all true why did you never tell me? And how do you remember all of this so well and I just got my memories back because of Jackson?”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother smiled sweetly at her grandson.

 

“We didn’t tell you because we wanted you to live a normal life. Our family ages normally until our twenty fifth birthday. And before you ask my grandfather was twenty five when he was cursed which is why that happens. So we wanted you to be as normal as possible before it happened. We were going to tell you, but there never seemed to be a good time since you were always hanging around with a certain royal guard.”

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother sent a smug look Jackson’s way.

 

“As for your memories I’m afraid that was our fault as well. You were basically catatonic for such a long time. You didn’t eat, you didn’t sleep, and you never left your bed unless someone carried you out. You didn’t even realize that two hundred and seventy five years had passed. And it was all because you thought you lost Jackson in the battle. So we had to lock away those memories to get you back to us. We were lucky to find a witch that was willing to do that for us.”

 

Jinyoung looked shocked. He remembered that time, but had he really just laid in bed for that long? It only felt like a year had passed during that time. 

 

Jackson was just as shocked. Jinyoung had been that distraught over losing him? Jinyoung was so upset by the thought of losing Jackson that he didn’t move for more than two hundred years? Wasn’t it painful? He may be immortal but he had to still feel the pain that comes from not taking care of himself, right? His grip on Jinyoung tightened a little bit. 

 

Jinyoung’s grandmother stood up then.

 

“You two have a lot you need to talk about. I’m going to go and make some food since it’s almost time for breakfast anyway.” She said as she walked over to the door.

 

**There was silence in the room as the door closed with a click.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. Life has been a little crazy, but I hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this story! Feel free to leave any comments you have below, and if you want to yell at me on Tumblr you can follow me [here!](%E2%80%9Dwww.itsthechickwiththehair.tumblr.com%E2%80%9D)


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